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Dozens of descendants of Black Loyalists turned out in Halifax on Saturday for an event to announce the addition of their history to a UNESCO register.
A collection of documents detailing the history of the Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick has been added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Canadian Memory of the World Register.
The collection titled Black Loyalists in Canada: Autonomy, Advocacy, Community, Legacy, is jointly held by the Nova Scotia Archives, the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre, the Shelburne County Museum and the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.
Andrea Davis, the executive director of the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Shelburne, says the designation carries deep meaning for the community she represents.
Describing the collection as “top-shelf,” Davis says being added to the register is an important and exciting development.
“I’m here to represent the community, so I’m not just here on my own,” she says.
“I’m a community navigator, so I’m sure that the community will love the work that is coming out of this.”
The collection documents the arrival of thousands of Black Loyalists who came to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick from the United States following the American Revolution.
Sheila Hartley-Scott, president of the centre, said the documents reveal significant disparities in how land was distributed.
She notes that Black Loyalist coming to Nova Scotia were offered eight hectares of land compared to the 80 hectares offered to white Loyalists.
John Macleod, manager at the Nova Scotia Archives, says the collection includes court records showing Black Loyalists contesting attempts to re-enslave them.
“You find the persistence of the Black Loyalists” in the government documents, Macleod says.
Speaking at the event, Anthea Seles, chair of the Canada Memory of the World Advisory Committee for the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, said the collection shows the community’s efforts to build a society while dealing with unfulfilled government promises.
Davis says she is hopeful that being included in the register will help the centre gain interest from the international community and the African diaspora in particular.
She says the centre plans to celebrate the recognition during its “Journey Back to Birchtown” event in August.
“This will verify and confirm that we’ve been here and we’re not going anywhere,” Davis says.
“This is exactly what we needed to … uplift us during these times.”
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